Dodgers Carl Crawford Will Make Defensive Debut on Saturday

If the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to justify the blockbuster trade it made with the Boston Red Sox last August, Carl Crawford is going to have to stay healthy. Crawford is one step closer to that goal today, returning to left field in Dodger’s Spring Training for the first time since his surgery sidelined him since August of 2012.

Crawford DH’d the previous four games he played going 3/10 and is projected to be ready Opening Day.

This progress is important for a few reasons to the Dodgers. With Hanley Ramirez‘s recent injury, Los Angeles quite simply could use Crawford’s veteran bat and speed, which represents an upgrade over Skip Schumaker and Jerry Hairston.

On a bigger scale, Los Angeles now has the highest payroll and expectations in the Major Leagues, underdoing its first season with new ownership, a multi-billion dollar TV contract and some of the biggest names in the sport on its roster.

Zack Greinke, Hanley Ramirez (when he is healthy again), Clayton Kershaw, and Korean import Hyun-Jin Ryu will all be on the roster together for a full season for the first time.

Acquisitions from last year’s Red Sox blockbuster: Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett will all be completely healthy to join the aforementioned names for the first time as well, which means the payroll exceeding 200 million dollars and including eight different eight figure salaries is finally fully operational.

For Crawford, he joins his fellow Red Sox teammate, Gonzalez, as the top two highest salaries on the team this year, with each being paid in excess of $20 million per season in 2013, so being able to step into the lineup and onto the left side of the outfield will be huge for Crawford and the organization.

The Dodgers will take on the Chicago White Sox at 7:00PM with Ryu making another start for Los Angeles. It’s likely, however, despite Ryu’s rookie status, more eyes will be turned to the left fielder today than anyone else tonight.

Dodgers News and Notes: Kershaw pitched six solid innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday in what figures to be his final extended start of the spring. Yasiel Puig was forced to make a fifth-inning exit from the Dodgers’ game against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, after having the wind knocked out of him. Puig is expected to play Saturday.

Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly said  that his first thought was to have Luis Cruz replace Ramirez at shortstop, but Dee Gordon is still in the mix.